Help from enterprise zones

California's enterprise zone program - including a massive expansion in the San Fernando Valley announced this month - has been praised for its powerful effect on job creation in depressed areas, through the use of tax breaks and other incentives to encourage business growth.C.J. Lin in the Dailyu News

But the enterprise zone concept continues to face criticism from some experts who maintain that their value may be overrated, and that they create a disadvantage for businesses that are not in the zones.

Los Angeles officials announced recently that an existing enterprise zone in the Valley will be expanded to 5,444 acres, zigzagging across business clusters from the industrial Northeast Valley to corporate Warner Center. The zone will offer a range of financial incentives, including tax breaks, fee waivers and utility bill discounts.